Plant-based meat and dairy alternatives in Norway: consumption, nutritional quality and Nutri-Score based on data from the Norkost 4 survey.
7 affiliations
- 1Department of Food Safety, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
- 2Centre for Sustainable Diets, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
- 3Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. [email protected].
- 4Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Science, Ås, Norway.
- 5Centre for Evaluation of Public Health Measures, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
- 6Department of Physical Health and Ageing, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
- 7Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Abstract
Purpose
Alternatives to animal-sourced foods (Alt-ASFs) are processed plant-based products that mimic animal-sourced foods. This study aimed to describe the consumption of Alt-ASFs in the Norwegian dietary survey (Norkost 4) and compare population characteristics and nutritional intake in regular consumers. Further, to compare the nutritional quality of Alt-ASFs consumed and describe the distribution of the Nutri-Score and NewTools-score - a proposed revised version of Nutri-Score, among these products.Methods
Dietary data were collected from 1,815 adults in Norkost 4 using 2*24-h recalls and a food frequency questionnaire. Alt-ASFs were identified and compared with corresponding ASFs. Nutritional quality was assessed and products were scored using Nutri-Score and NewTools-score.Results
Overall, the consumption of Alt-ASF was low (mean: 0.3 energy %, SD: 1.6). 8% (n = 147) reported consuming one or more Alt-ASFs regularly, defined as ≥ 2 times/week, with dairy alternatives being most frequently consumed. Regular consumers were typically younger, female, and more likely to report a vegetarian diet. Most Alt-ASFs contained lower levels of the assessed micronutrients except for meat and fortified milk, whose micronutrient content was similar or higher than ASFs. There was a wide variation in nutritional scores for Alt-ASFs. Unfortified Alt-ASFs typically had a low micronutrient content but could still achieve favourable Nutri-Scores if low in salt, sugar and saturated fat.Conclusion
Our findings indicate that only a minor part of Norwegian adults regularly consumes Alt-ASFs and consumption is low. Shifting from ASFs to Alt-ASFs may have some nutritional benefits and some disadvantages, largely dependent on the chosen products.
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BibTeX
@article{amberntsson2026plantbased,
title = {{Plant-based meat and dairy alternatives in Norway: consumption, nutritional quality and Nutri-Score based on data from the Norkost 4 survey.}},
author = {Anna Amberntsson and Dina Moxness Konglevoll and Annika Eliassen and Mari Mohn Paulsen and Anne Lise Brantsæter and Marianne Hope Abel and Lene Frost Andersen},
journal = {European journal of nutrition},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s00394-026-04144-y},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42955093},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Plant-based meat and dairy alternatives in Norway: consumption, nutritional quality and Nutri-Score based on data from the Norkost 4 survey.
AU - Anna Amberntsson
AU - Dina Moxness Konglevoll
AU - Annika Eliassen
AU - Mari Mohn Paulsen
AU - Anne Lise Brantsæter
AU - Marianne Hope Abel
AU - Lene Frost Andersen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - European journal of nutrition
DO - 10.1007/s00394-026-04144-y
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42955093
AB - Purpose Alternatives to animal-sourced foods (Alt-ASFs) are processed plant-based products that mimic animal-sourced foods. This study aimed to describe the consumption of Alt-ASFs in the Norwegian dietary survey (Norkost 4) and compare population characteristics and nutritional intake in regular consumers. Further, to compare the nutritional quality of Alt-ASFs consumed and describe the distribution of the Nutri-Score and NewTools-score - a proposed revised version of Nutri-Score, among these products.Methods Dietary data were collected from 1,815 adults in Norkost 4 using 2*24-h recalls and a food frequency questionnaire. Alt-ASFs were identified and compared with corresponding ASFs. Nutritional quality was assessed and products were scored using Nutri-Score and NewTools-score.Results Overall, the consumption of Alt-ASF was low (mean: 0.3 energy %, SD: 1.6). 8% (n = 147) reported consuming one or more Alt-ASFs regularly, defined as ≥ 2 times/week, with dairy alternatives being most frequently consumed. Regular consumers were typically younger, female, and more likely to report a vegetarian diet. Most Alt-ASFs contained lower levels of the assessed micronutrients except for meat and fortified milk, whose micronutrient content was similar or higher than ASFs. There was a wide variation in nutritional scores for Alt-ASFs. Unfortified Alt-ASFs typically had a low micronutrient content but could still achieve favourable Nutri-Scores if low in salt, sugar and saturated fat.Conclusion Our findings indicate that only a minor part of Norwegian adults regularly consumes Alt-ASFs and consumption is low. Shifting from ASFs to Alt-ASFs may have some nutritional benefits and some disadvantages, largely dependent on the chosen products.
SN - 1436-6207
SN - 1436-6215
ER -